NEW YORK “What a heart of gold: this family robbed me for years, taking advantage of my position.” Michael Oher, the former tough guy-turned-titled soccer player whose true story is the basis of the film. Blind area which won lead actress Sandra Bullock an Oscar in 2009, sued Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy, her alleged benefactors.
They would take advantage of his turbulent history as the son of an alcoholic and drug addict mother, orphaned father killed while he was in prison, exploiting his fragility. Moving from one foster family to another, Oher was also on the road for a long time. To save him, Tuohy’s extraordinary talent as a football player intuitively helped him in his sports career, allowing him to join important teams and play in the major professional league. It is a pity that in doing so they, at least, so he says, deceived him. Forcing him to sign adoption papers, but which instead were what they call “custody” here, a custody that pop star Britney Spears has suffered for years. In fact, depriving him of any income associated with a sports career, as well as millionaire income associated first with the sale of the book, and then with the rights to the film adaptation.
Oher, now 37, married with four children, only discovered in February that he was penniless and had no family ties to Tuohy. In fact, the couple stripped him of all legal authority over his life and even the use of his name. For the money alone, Michael now accuses: “He thought he made him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact they never offered him any family relationship,” court documents are now being read. This is despite the fact that the book The Blind Side: The Evolution of the Game and the film of the same name, which earned millions of dollars not only for the couple, but also for their two children, tell a very different story. .
That’s why Oher is now asking the court to revoke the guardianship. And at the same time, he asks for an injunction so that they no longer use his name and his history. Also demanding compensation: payment of his share of the profits along with compensation for non-pecuniary damage.
A bad story that immediately went viral in the United States, infuriating many who loved the film. To the point of picking on the unsuspecting Bullock: “Now bring Oscar back.” Tuohy, however, is not there: “Things are different. Let’s digest the pain and we’ll explain everything.”